The Reckoning
by HooksGuardian
Summary: Captain Hook appears to have been cheated out of his victory over Peter and is about to go to the crocodile... or is he? A revision of the ending of the 2003 "Peter Pan" film.


Well, while this is most definitely not my first piece of fanfiction, it is the first on I have posted here. My others are not-so-short short stories, the last was about 170 pages. But this is a one shot piece I wrote after recently re-viewing (for the umpteenth time) "Peter Pan", the 2003 film by PJ Hogan.

I was probably a rather odd child; from the first time my mother read "Peter Pan" to me, and it was the JM Barrie original, I positively despised Peter himself. I have always figured he was a perfectly dispicable child and didn't blame Captain Hook one bit for wanting to kill him; I wanted to help. I also hads plans to shoot and skin the crocodile and have it made into boots -- told you I was an odd child.

This particular work is my version of the way the movie 'should' have ended. So if you are a fan of the character of Peter, I dare say you won't appreciate it. Also, I am rating this Mature for the use of very strong, course language.

Characters included would be Peter (yeah, he has to be in it I guess), Hook, Wendy, Lost Boys, and one of my own invention (not what you would consider a Mary Sue)

So please have a look at this bit of silliness on my part. Reviews and criticism are welcomed as long as they are done constructively. Don't worry, I have a thick skin.

Oh yeah, lest I forget -I claim no ownership of "Peter Pan" in any shape, for, or fashion, including the JM barrie book or the PJ Hogan movie - so don't sue me, please.

**The Reckoning**

Eddie wiped fog from the inside of the truck's windshield as he drove through the snow. The windshield wipers were having a devil of a time keeping the view clear. He decided to pull over under an over-pass until either the snow slacked off or the traffic did; as usual, people were driving much too fast for conditions. He switched off the ignition and listened to the radio, and after a few minutes he unfastened his seatbelt as it was jamming the butt of his semi-automatic pistol into his left ribcage. He was absent-mindedly watching the flakes dance and whirl through the air when he first noticed something was wrong. A tractor-trailer on the opposite side of the road was traveling dangerously fast and seemed to be swerving from lane to lane. Suddenly the rig jack-knifed and slid onto and across the median, heading straight for him. There was not time to crank his truck and move; not even enough time to leap from the pick-up. He didn't remember praying or screaming or cursing, or even thinking; just a bright white flash and then everything went black, and he felt himself falling slowly through the darkness.

Peter exploded from the deck with a sonic boom whose shockwaves blew the surrounding pirates far from the ship except for Captain Hook. He was left tangled in the rigging above the deck, stunned and disoriented. Peter flew triumphantly around the ship and past Wendy and the boys before turning his attention to the trapped Captain. He did not notice the stranger laying face down near the bow of the ship. He slashed the roped that bound Hook to the yard arm and tossed the pirate's sword to him.

Below, Eddie lifted himself from the deck, shaking his head to clear his senses. He staggered to his feet and rubbed his throbbing left side; he feared the pistol in its shoulder holster had cracked a rib when he landed -- Landed, he wondered. Where? How? What? He leaned against the side of the ship, rubbing his temples and then his bleary eyes. A ship? Eddie scratched his chin. How the hell had he ended up on a ship? He heard a man's voice roaring overhead and looked up. His chin smacked soundly against his toes.

Hook sprang at Peter in a rage. "No!" he protested. "I have won!"

Peter floated easily out harm's way and the Captain smacked against one of the deployed sails. "You are old," he sneered at Hook. He jabbed the point of his sword under the pirate's chin.

By now, Eddie had a damn good idea where he was and what was happening. How he got here was another question, and considering the circumstances and what he knew was to come, he decided he could figure out 'how' later. His hackles were rising and his rage boiled. His eyes searched for a loose rope to swing from, preferably one anchored on the opposite side of the mast from him.

Hook slashed at the blade with his claw and lunged at Peter with his sword. "But I won!" he insisted again.

Peter merely caught Hook's blade with his own and began to spin the Captain, sending him floating away from the safety of the ship. "And, you are alone!" he jeered.

Eddie had climbed up one of the rope ladders that lead to the rigging, having spied his rope, and had managed to remain unseen; all eyes were on Hook. He chambered a round into his Ruger 9mm pistol, lowered the hammer and set the safety before re-holstering the gun. Winding his left arm and calf in the rope to keep him from sliding, he watched and waited.

"But I won! I won!" Hook said, his voice started to shake. Below him was the ocean, and worse, he was sinking towards it. Suddenly the crocodile exploded from beneath the waves, its jaws snapping closed only a few yards from his feet. He felt his 'happy' thoughts slipping away and desperately tried to find another.

"And," Peter taunted, "You are…."

"Done for," Wendy said. The Lost Boys and Wendy took up the chant.

"Old, alone, done for! Old, alone, done for! Old, alone, done for! Old, alone, done for!"

Hook began to panic. Any potentially happy thought vanished at each re-appearance of the crocodile and the incessant chanting clouded what thoughts he could form. He gradually sank lower and lower, and was about to resign himself to his fate when he caught a glimpse of a greenish blur speeding through the air directly towards him; whatever it was hit him like a cannon ball and he felt an arm lock around his lower back.

"Hang on!" an muffled, unfamiliar voice advised.

Hook grabbed the rope with his hand and seized the mysterious gentleman with his legs as the crocodile made another leap. The rope abruptly reached its apex and they were swinging back towards the ship.

Eddie stared down the crocodile's maw as it leapt again and he snatched his feet up. The tip of the croc's snout bumped the heel of his boot and something sharp sliced across the top of his head. He hung on to the rope for dear life. "You mother fuckin' son-of-a-bitch!" he shouted down to the overgrown reptile as it slipped beneath the waves once more. His right ankle smashed against the top of the deck's railing and he lost his grip on the rope, sending him and the Captain sprawling onto the deck. Something wet oozed down between his eyes and when he wiped his face he saw blood on his fingers.

"Shit!" he swore. He was feeling in the pocket of his dark green coat for a Kleenex when he caught sight of Peter, hurtling through the air towards him. He rolled to the left and leapt to his feet, stumbling over the dazed Captain as he backed away from Peter.

"Who are you?!" Peter demanded.

"I'm you're worst fuckin' nightmare come to life," Eddie snarled, slightly favoring his right foot. "You rotten, cheatin' little bastard!"

"How dare you accuse me of foul play," Peter seethed.

"You lost. The Captain here beat you fair and square. You're only alive due to outside interference." Eddie pointed accusingly at Wendy. "But you still lost, you stinking yellow dog coward."

"Did not! Am not!" Peter barked. "Prepare to defend yourself!" Peter shouted and prepared to lunge with his sword.

"Oh, bite me!" Eddie roared. "You couldn't fight your way out of a paper sack if you didn't fly. And even then you need help… and you have the fucking nerve to say you fight fair? Bah! Fair my hairy ass. Bull shit!"

"Who _are_ you?" Captain Hook asked, still a bit stunned.

"Your guardian angel," Eddie said. He mopped the blood from his forehead. "Oh, thanks for the autograph," he said and pointed to his scalp.

Now Eddie turned his focus back to Peter, whose sword was inches from his nose. "Look, I don't have no sword. And if I did, I never used one before, so this ain't exactly fair neither, is it now."

"Defend yourself sir," Peter menaced.

"You really don't want me to kick your ass in front of all the people, do you? I'm wearing the boots that can do it, you know."

"I doubt that," Peter snorted

Eddie looked over to Hook for a moment and grinned. "Watch this," he said in a low voice, offering the man a hand up.

"Hey, asshole," Eddie barked at Peter. "If I was you I'd just drop that sword and walk away -- seriously."

"And why should I?" Peter demanded.

"Because I have an advantage on you and there's no way you can win," Eddie said. "You'll be committing suicide."

"Hah!" Peter spat. "There's never been a pirate I couldn't beat, and I'll kill you too."

"Well, in the first place I'm no pirate. I'm a disgruntled postal worker." Eddie showed his teeth as though he might bite at any moment.

Peter frowned. "So what?"

"And in the second place," Eddie continued, "I've seen _Raiders of the Lost Ark_, and you haven't."

"What?" Peter asked.

"You better back off," Eddie growled. "You do not want to fuck with me."

"This is your last warning." Peter tossed Hook's sword to Eddie. "Defend yourself!" he ordered and raised his sword to strike the first blow.

Eddie looked at the sword for a brief moment, then tossed it to Hook. At the same moment, he drew the Ruger from under his coat and fired once, striking Peter squarely between the eyes. His sword fell to the deck and so did Peter, quite dead."

"Told you," Eddie said, holstering the pistol. "You dumb-ass."

Wendy's brothers huddled close to her; the Lost Boys cowered behind her. "Bad form!" Wendy shouted.

"What?" Eddie turned around and stared at the girl, incredulous. "That was a damn good shot. What's your problem."

"Actually," Captain Hook said, "And I hate to admit it, the girl is right. It was rather bad form."

"Good form, bad form," Eddie snorted. "I'm alive, you're alive, he's dead. It's all good."

"I see your point," Hook agreed. "Oh, and thank you for your assistance."

"No problem," Eddie said. "I've always wanted to shoot that little prick anyway."

"What about us?" Wendy piped up.

Hook glanced around his ship, marking the deplorable conditions. "You can get to work."

"Work?" Slightly echoed.

"Yes," the captain sneered. "This deck is an abomination to my eyes. Clean it up, mend those sails, toss this filth overboard," he gestured to Peter's body, "and mop up the blood stains."

"You must be joking!" John said.

"On the contrary," Hook replied curtly. "To the victor belong the spoils… though I've rarely settled for so little. In any case, you belong to me now. Get busy or I'll have the lot of you flogged and keel-hauled." He turned to Eddie. "And as for you, sir, I believe we have things to discuss." He checked the gash on Eddie's head. "Sorry about that... Unavoidable though completely unintentional, you know."

"Forget it," Eddie said. "Let me stay and we're even, eh?"

"Let's drink to that, shall we?" Hook escorted Eddie into his cabin, leaving the stunned children to toss Peter Pan's lifeless body into the sea and begin a long night of cleaning

and repairing the Jolly Roger, and an even longer life of drudgery in servitude to the Captain.

THE END

(The moral of this story is… never, never, never send a Mary Sue to do a man's job.)


End file.
